DOC staff say illegal fishing activity this summer in Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula's Pōhatu marine reserve is the highest in 10 years.
"The silver lining is we are very lucky to have an incredibly supportive local community sending us photos and keeping watch. They are real naturing heroes. The marine reserve is for everyone to enjoy and to protect our precious marine species for future generations," says DOC Mahaanui Operations Manager Andy Thompson.
Fifteen infringement notices and/or formal warnings have already been handed out to people found fishing illegally in the marine reserve and DOC staff are seeking help to identify more alleged offenders, thanks to photos taken by members of the public.
DOC wants to speak to the skippers or owners of the vessels in the photos taken and supplied to DOC in February and March.
"Boaties often say they didn't know it was a marine reserve but that's not a good enough excuse. All the information is there on an app called Marine Mate. You can see on a map clearly where it's illegal to fish or take shellfish," Andy Thompson says.
"Part of our job is to educate people – but there are also members of the public who are deliberately flouting the rules and taking fish and crays and other marine creatures. We can't be on the water everyday patrolling, so we rely on members of the public to spot illegal activity," he says.
Andy Thompson says it's incredibly disappointing the number of offences has spiked suddenly over the past few months.
With the growth in numbers of visitors wanting to visit the marine reserve, DOC staff are looking at putting in buoys to highlight the best spots for wildlife watching and learning about the special species under the waves.
DOC marine rangers are also keen to develop a recognised community network to help look after the marine reserve, like a group in the Abel Tasman National Park.
"This is one way the public can really help us protect nature. We want people to see this as 'community naturing' – by taking action to protect our threatened species, you're our eyes and ears on the water."
